The present invention relates to a holder device for handling an image carrier which is included in an image forming apparatus.
In an electrophotographic copier, laser printer, facsimile apparatus or similar image forming apparatus, a toner image is formed on an image carrier such as a photoconductive element and then transferred to a paper sheet. It is necessary for the image carrier to be mounted on the body of the image forming apparatus during the course of production. Moreover, since the image carrier deteriorates due to aging, it has to be replaced with a new image carrier from time to time. In addition, it often occurs that the image carrier must be removed from the apparatus body for picking out a jamming paper sheet, for example, and again mounted on the apparatus body after the removal of the jamming paper sheet.
When the image carrier is to be removed from the apparatus body for any of the purposes stated above, directly touching the surface of the image carrier is undesirable because toner adhered to that surface would smear the operator's hands and clothes. At the least, the image carrier to be removed from the apparatus body needs to be handled with special care so that its surface may be protected from external objects which would scratch or otherwise damage the surface, and so must be kept away from hands. This is also true when the image carrier is to be mounted on the apparatus body.
Traditionally, therefore, the operations for mounting and dismounting an image carrier have been left to the care of a serviceman. However, a current trend is toward a miniature image forming apparatus such as a miniature copier for personal use in which a user is expected to replace an image carrier without the help of a serviceman. To allow an ordinary user to readily mount and dismount an image carrier or photoconductive element, there has been proposed a process kit in which the photoconductive element and various units associated therewith, such as a developing unit and a cleaning unit are assembled together, as disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication (Kokai) Nos. 62-170978 (Canon) and 51-2433 (Minolta). Since such a process kit is bodily replaceable with another, a person does not have to directly touch the photoconductive element and is prevented from damaging the same when mounting it.
A problem with the process kit scheme stated above is that even when the service life of only one of the units installed in the process kit, or that of the image carrier only, exires, the entire process kit has to be replaced with another at high cost. Another prior art technique for facilitating the handling of an image carrier is to provide the image carrier with a grip, as shown and described in Japanese Laid-Open Utility Model Publication No. 61-201054 (Canon) by way of example. This solution has a drawback in that the grip is a hinderance once the image carrier is loaded in the apparatus body for operation. Moreover, a person may still touch the surface of the image carrier, intentionally or not, despite the presence of the grip.